Monday, May 30, 2011

Happy Memorial Day!

My Memorial Day weekend, as with many American holidays, involves a lot of food. How grilling hamburgers and steaks relates to remembering our fallen soldiers, I will never understand.

I began my Memorial day eating fest Friday evening while having dinner with my husband's uncle who flew all the way from Egypt. We enjoyed great conversation and company while eating italian fare.

I joined in on the grilling festivities Saturday evening. After my conference in Malibu, I have made a more conscious effort to eat more "whole foods" and less processed foods. I managed to find hot dogs and sausages made organically, from cows being fed grass only (no hormones). While it is still processed, I felt a little better knowing that I was eating foods that were "all natural." It was a huge hit, and everyone commended the sausage. Who knew that organic foods did taste better?

The next evening, my sister and I threw a surprise birthday party for our dad. We invited family and held it at a popular chinese seafood restaurant- Fung's Kitchen. The food was great. We ordered from a banquet menu, that offered 10 dishes plus a soup. By the time the 5th dish was on the table, I was already stuffed, but the food was so good, that I couldn't stop. I later regretted this decision since my stomach was starting to hurt. We also had cake from 3 Brothers Bakery, a local bakery that offers dairy free treats since my nephew is allergic. Finally, we offered party favors for all that attended, and for a food lover like myself, you can probably guess that the favor involved food. Indeed, we gave away chinese longevity buns. These individually wrapped buns are colored with a little pink to celebrate someone's birthday and are typically a sweet treat.

Chinese Longevity Bun

Overall, I enjoyed my Memorial Day weekend, never once forgetting our fallen soldiers. Thank you for all that you do for our country.